Film; Survive Style 5+

I first saw Survive Style 5+ three years ago, and from the very first scene my eyes were glued to the screen for the whole two hours!

Released in 2004 (I was obviously a bit slow on the uptake!), the plot follows five intertwining stories: a crew of bungling burglars, an advertising executive, a family man hypnotised to believe he’s a bird (the hypnotist is played by the always excellent Hiroshi Abe), a man battling against his wife who won’t stay dead, and an international hit-man played (oddly enough) by Vinnie Jones. Add to this a cast of weird and wacky minor characters, and get ready for a surreal but highly enjoyable film!

For me, the real joy of the film comes from the highly saturated colours used as well as the quality of set design. I can’t begin to describe just how sumptuous the colours are, it has to be seen to be believed.

This has to be one of my favourite films, as it provides the viewer with a wonderful mix of horror and comedy, touching lightly on the human condition and the relationships we form with others. Truly genre-defying, get your hands on it now and set aside reality for the afternoon!